a dynasty forever couldn't break
by Mia-Zeklos
Summary: "All of Alec's memories of Jonathan Herondale were blurry at best and he wouldn't have minded seeing him at least once before they had to bind themselves to each other with runes and an oath of undying love." Arranged marriage AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Notes: Yes, the title is from _that one song_ because it just fits so well for what I have planned for this fic. It's split in two mainly for the sake of the timeline and part two will likely be posted in about a week. That being said, I hope you enjoy this and feedback is always welcome!**

Isabelle had started taking care of the preparations from the moment the date of the wedding had been announced and while Alec was grateful for it – that meant minus one additional stranger in the Institute to deal with – he was starting to regret not asking his mother to help instead. At this point, he was quite sure that she was less invested in the recently arranged alliance with the Herondales than his sister was.

"Have you got the ring?" she asked and Alec nodded, eyeing the box on his desk. The Lightwood flame stood out against the silver of the band itself and it had had to be modified a bit for them to be sure that it would fit his fiancé. It had belonged to Cecily Herondale; Alec's several times great-grandmother, and it had been gifted to her by her betrothed Gabriel Lightwood. Gabriel's ring was the one that Alec himself had inherited and he'd thought that Jace might appreciate the gesture for the reminder that it was of their families's combined ability to be a force of good.

 _Jace_. It was just a nickname used mainly by the man's friends, apparently, and Alec wasn't sure whether he'd earned the right to use it since they'd only met once about fifteen years ago.

That was the only problem he had with the entire ordeal, really. All of Alec's memories of Jonathan Herondale were blurry at best and he wouldn't have minded seeing him at least once before they had to bind themselves to each other with runes and an oath of undying love. It was too late to think about that now, though; as far as he was aware, his soon-to-be husband was somewhere at the other end of the Institute and was getting equally fussed over by an overexcited loved one. The thought was comforting to a degree; at least he wasn't the only one suffering through the preparations.

"Can you keep still? I'm trying to work here." Isabelle was still fiddling with his hair until she got it to stay in the shape she'd wanted. "You have nothing to worry about."

"I know." Honestly, the only known heir to the Herondale name was as good a match as he'd ever imagined. Better than that, even. "I just want to know what he's _like_."

"I can't help you much with that," Izzy conceded. "A good fighter, I've heard." Alec could see his sister's smile in the mirror. "He can't wait to go out hunting in the city; he told me when I met him earlier." The smile turned sly. "He's gorgeous, you know."

"I _don't_ , actually." Alec had seen the opportunity to complain about his situation again and he wasn't about to let it go. "Because no one's letting me _see_ him."

"Come on, big brother," Isabelle admonished as she turned him around to straighten up his suit jacket. "You know that it's bad luck."

"You know what's also bad luck? Going into a marriage completely blind." It was the nerves finally getting to him, Alec could feel it, but he couldn't censor himself any longer. "The engagement was negotiated _months_ ago."

"...And you were both too busy to arrange a meeting, yes. See, you've got something in common after all."

"I hope so," Alec muttered, taking one last look at himself in the mirror before he gripped the gift box like it was a lifeline. "You ready to go?"

She was. Come to think of it, Isabelle was in full battle gear – otherwise known as the dress she would wear at the wedding along with all the jewellery that went with it – and had probably been prepared for hours now, having foreseen the necessity of coming to help him get ready.

"Of course I am." She sounded almost offended by the question. "Are _you_?"

He wasn't going to get any more prepared than this; might as well go and face his future. "Sure," he said, squaring his shoulders and heading for the door. "Let's do this."

 **o.O.o**

Jonathan was already there. He had to have come too early because Alec had made sure to come on time, but it wasn't much of a shock – the Herondales didn't know the Institute very well and it was only logical that they'd take the possibility of getting lost on their way to the main hall while trying to find it into account. Alec didn't really mind – that way, he had the chance to take a look at them before entering the hall and attracting attention to himself.

Isabelle had been right; he really _was_ gorgeous even from afar, drowned in the golden hue of his hair and his suit, and he was smiling down at the woman in front of him. His mother, he presumed – Jonathan was said to resemble Céline a lot, especially in appearance. Alec had met Stephen before so it was easy to recognise him– and then his moment of observation was over as the man in question spotted him and headed his way, closely followed by Alec's own parents. That drew Céline's attention as well and she stopped fiddling with her son's tie, clearly intent on getting through the necessary introductions first.

Alec had just prepared himself for the approaching onslaught of questions when the Silent Brother came in.

He was glad, in a way. That meant that all conversations would have to be postponed – no one liked to keep the Silent Brothers waiting – but it also meant that the moment he'd been anticipating and dreading at the same time for months now had finally came and he hadn't expected to run out of time quite so quickly.

Still, he let himself be pushed closer to the dais as everyone took their place. Izzy had already assumed her position right behind him, holding the stele and the ring box out for him to take when the time came and there was a girl behind Jonathan – Clarissa Fairchild, as they'd been informed – who was doing the same, her eyes wandering curiously between them as if this was the first time she'd seen a Nephilim wedding.

They exchanged their gifts first. Jonathan's ring – the one he slid on Alec's ring finger with the faintest smile – looked much newer than the one Alec offered him and he would have regretted the decision he'd made if it hadn't been for the way his groom's eyes widened with interest. He wasn't allowed to focus on such details for too long and he was reminded of that by Izzy clearing her throat as she pushed the pillow she was holding in his direction. It was time for the most important part of the ceremony – they had to charge the brand new steles they'd been provided with for the occasion. Alec pulled his sleeve back before he could think about it for too long, the not-quite-unpleasant sensation of a permanent rune being burned into his skin big enough of a distraction to empty his mind almost entirely. It only returned with full force moments later as he had to do the same through Jonathan's half-unbuttoned shirt and it was the strangest possible feeling – they hadn't exchanged a single word and yet here he was, vowing to him for a _love as strong as death_ while fully realising that this might never be the case. No one expected it to be, really; they were just meant to fulfil their duty and unite their families once and for all and, if they were lucky, this was as public as they would ever need to be.

As he finished the last stroke of his rune, Alec's thoughts raced through all the best case scenarios that he could imagine and for the first time, the thought was laced with hope.

 **o.O.o**

"And this is–"

"Eleanor Nightshade," Alec supplied, waving at the woman in the flowing blue dress when he realised that he'd caught her attention. "She's not a field agent, but she's in charge of the technology here. If you ever have any trouble, you can find her."

Jace looked mildly horrified. It was _Jace_ now, as per the man's insistence, even if Alec's parents still hadn't quite let go of _Jonathan_. It was only natural – after all, it had been just a few hours and during their still-ongoing wedding feast, Jace hadn't moved from Alec's side and hadn't talked to most of the Shadowhunters wandering about. It was how it was supposed to be and while they hadn't really had much of a choice in the matter, Alec had to admit that he was enjoying himself. "It's going to take me _weeks_ to remember all these people."

"You don't need to remember them all at once," Alec said as he observed the hall. It _did_ seem rather crowded, even if he knew that most of the guests would be gone by tomorrow morning. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, which had been one of his mother's biggest concerns. She'd wanted to be the perfect host and so far, she'd succeeded. The only complain Alec really had was their table's position – front and centre in the wedding tent – and the way everyone in the vicinity had their eyes fixed on the newlyweds whenever one of them moved. "Are there less Shadowhunters in London?"

"Not really," Jace said. "It's just that I've known most of them since I was a child. Take Clary, for example," he added, nodding at his friend on the other end of the table where she was talking to Isabelle. "Her mother sought shelter in our Institute after the Uprising and my parents gave it to her, of course, so we grew up together."

Alec shifted uncomfortably in his seat. It was the elephant in the room; the one their families had probably ignored for over two decades now. Stephen and his wife had been a part of the Circle just like Maryse and Robert and – just like Maryse and Robert – they'd given up in the last possible moment. The combined information they'd gathered had eventually led to Valentine's death and that had been enough to pacify the majority of the Council, so both families had been faring quite well ever since. The same went for Jocelyn Fairchild, although her situation wasn't really the same – she'd been Valentine's _wife_ , after all, and she'd lost her son in the fire that had destroyed her family's home. She had lived on her own for a few years before returning to the Shadow world and that explained why Clary seemed just a bit different from the rest of them; despite the many years spent in the London Institute, there was still something distinctly human about her.

"Is she staying?" Alec asked and was surprised to see Jace laugh at the question.

"She was supposed to leave with my parents tonight, but now I'm not so sure." Alec followed his gaze and found her still with Izzy, both of them gesturing animatedly in what seemed to be a passionate discussion. "Your family is– difficult to say no to."

Despite all the lessons he'd gone through with this exact day in mind, Alec wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to that. It sounded like both a joke and a compliment, but he didn't know Jace well enough to be able to assume which one it was. He willed himself to move on to a different topic instead. "Your parents are leaving tonight?"

"My mother isn't feeling well." He was trying to shrug it off, but the tension in Jace's posture was suddenly visible. "She said that she would feel better if she went home as soon as possible."

"That's–" It was none of his business, Alec reminded himself, but they were _married_ now. He had to offer some kind of comfort even if he didn't know whether it would be received well. "If there's anything I can do to help–"

"It's nothing serious." _I hope_. Jace didn't need to say it for Alec to see that he was trying to convince himself in that more than anything else, but he didn't push; especially not when the man spoke again. "It's getting late. Maybe we should–"

"Yes," Alec agreed readily and pushed his chair away from the table, grateful to see Jace following his example. It only meant everyone focusing on them _again_ , of course, but they got out of the tent and in the relative quiet of the summer night more quickly than he'd expected.

It should have been easier to proceed from here. It _was_ , to a degree – the pressure that had always been present for their ancestors on their wedding nights was practically nonexistent for them, but Alec could still feel that _something_ was expected from him now. Was he supposed to show Jace the way to his room? They'd had a personal one arranged for him already, but there was also the apartment meant for the two of them to share. If Alec had been in his place, he would have probably preferred a little peace and quiet after the day's events and the sudden shift in the environment, but offering the same to Jace might be considered rude. But the alternative would be too forward, which meant that–

"Listen," Jace spoke suddenly, pulling him away from his dilemma, "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Is there any food here that isn't in that tent?"

"Yes, but we'll have to go back into the Institute." The kitchen would be a _mess_ right now and plus, he wasn't in the mood to go through even more congratulations. "I think I have a better idea."

It was his better idea that led them to the rooftop of the Institute an hour later and with a large serving of the _Jade Wolf_ 's finest. He and Izzy went there often enough and he'd told Jace all about it on the way there, both to dispel the silence between them and because he genuinely wanted him to get accustomed to the city as quickly as possible. It had worked – almost everything he'd said had only made Jace ask even more questions and in the end, they'd found themselves here. Alec had no doubt that plenty of people had tracked their movement through the security cameras, but no one had tried to stop them, so he was in no hurry to go back inside.

"It's beautiful from up here," Jace said as he finished the last of his food. He'd been awfully quiet for a while now and Alec had started feeling antsy to the point where he was almost grateful to hear his voice again.

"Emphasis on _from up here_ ," he said, smiling despite himself. "You'll like it less when you have to go on a hunt."

"Oh, I doubt it." Jace's answering smile was blinding. "I can't _wait_ for that. Are we going to go together?"

"Maybe in a few days. There's a lot of paperwork around the wedding that needs to be sorted out." He dreaded to think of the documents he'd have to go through tomorrow, but it had to be done; otherwise the transfer of the Institute from his parents to him (and Jace, come to think of it) would never be complete. "In the meantime, you can find your way around here. You can even bring your furniture from London, if you'd like," he added. "There _is_ a bed in your room, but that's about it for now. No one was sure what you'd bring with yourself."

"I only brought my personal belongings, actually," Jace admitted. If he was put out by the idea of having to sleep in an empty room, he didn't let it show. "But I suppose I could work something out."

"You can sleep in our bedroom if you want to." The suggestion was so quick that Alec could almost feel the words stumbling over one another. "It was arranged a few days ago, so it should look fine by now."

"You didn't check?"

"Didn't have the time," Alec shrugged. "But there's a king size bed in it, so you could–"

"Are you going to come too?" The question was tentative, but Jace's eyes were curious; assessing him carefully from his seat on the edge of the rooftop.

Was he? Alec still had his own bedroom and he wasn't about to give it up – there were more than enough empty rooms in the Institute – but suddenly the idea didn't sound all that appealing. And it would make for a good first impression; if they stumbled upon someone returning from the festivities in the yard, it would be better for them to be seen together than apart. "Yes. Why not?"

"Great," Jace said, jumping back to the floor in one swift move. It had clearly been the correct answer and Alec let out a sigh of relief. This first step – the one he'd been the most worried about – had passed as successfully as it could have. It was the thought of that that made him slightly more optimistic about this whole thing; optimistic enough to follow Jace almost enthusiastically as he descended down the stairs. "What are you waiting for?"

 **o.O.o**

The apartment, when they finally found it, was a pleasant surprise for both of them. It was twice the size of most of the living quarters in the Institute and the bed dominated the room from where it was positioned under the windows, big enough for both of them and then some. It was framed by a nightstand on both sides and that only drew Alec's attention to how _shared_ the space was meant to be – there were two desks as well from what he could see from the living room, along with a dinner table surrounded by far too many chairs.

"There's a _library_ ," Jace said, obviously charmed and Alec just _had_ to follow him outside of the bedroom to see for himself now. "We don't have personal ones in London."

"We don't either." There was the main library, of course, but that was about it. Everyone in the Institute had access to it and most Shadowhunters managed to improvise one in their own rooms if they wanted to, but they were never given anything so purposeful.

The same could be said about most of the furniture, Alec soon noticed. While the majority of the rooms were a place to rest when you weren't working and not much more, this was a place meant to be lived in.

But then again, these were the privileges that a Head of an Institute usually got.

"We'll have to share a wardrobe."

"What?" The statement was surprisingly mundane given the direction his thoughts had been heading in.

"There's just one," Jace called out and Alec made his way back to the bedroom. "I hope you don't mind."

"I don't have that much to put in there anyway," Alec shook his head. "I'll go get your luggage; you need something to sleep in."

He ignored Jace's protests as he closed the door behind his back, already trying to follow the directions he'd been given for Jace's room. He hadn't lied, he _did_ want to help, but he also needed a minute – or ten – to assimilate everything that had happened.

He was _married_. The thought hadn't sunk in completely just yet and it was still an almost alien one. He and Jace had gone for takeaway and had made an impromptu sight-seeing walk around the city as if Jace was just another transfer into the New York Institute instead of the person he'd been preparing to marry for nearly a year (and for years on end, unofficially, because he knew that both their families had had that idea stuck in their heads for quite some time).

It didn't have to mean anything, he thought as he unlocked Jace's room. It really was almost completely bare and he knew that he didn't have it in him to even suggest it to Jace while it was in this state. And it wasn't just that; he knew that it would be unacceptable for him to treat him like this. He was his husband, after all.

Yes. It didn't have to mean anything beyond a political alliance. They seemed to get along fine so far and he was glad. Maybe they could at least be friends; if they were going to rule an Institute together, it would be preferable for them to be close. That was as close as arranged marriages usually got, and it would suit them both perfectly well.

He returned to their apartment only to find Jace in the middle of what looked like the very same internal conflict. He snapped out of it soon enough and hurried to get to his clothes.

"Thank you," he said, already rummaging through the bag Alec had brought for him. It was just a fraction of the luggage he'd found in Jace's bedroom, but it was enough, apparently, and Alec decided to leave him to it. He gathered his own clothes – what little from them he'd picked up from the reroute to his own room before coming here – and his toothbrush and headed for the bathroom so that both of them could have some privacy.

It was just as spacious as everything else and Alec sighed at the excess that reigned in front of him. There was even a bath for two in the corner – Izzy's idea, if he had to guess – and he dreaded to think of the expectations she'd had when she'd thought of it. He'd told her more than once that the chances of his marriage being an actually good match personality-wise weren't high, but she'd still gone overboard just in case, clearly hoping for something _more_.

Well, he would have to break it to her sooner or later. Maybe not just yet, though. She'd insisted that he report back to her as soon as he could, but there wasn't really much to say now. They were perfect strangers; even now, as he got ready to share a bed with Jace, Alec had no idea what he was supposed to do to make the entire experience as comfortable for both of them as he could.

He left his improvised hideout a moment later and was rather unsurprised to see Jace still in the position where he'd left him, the only difference being the fact that he was dressed only in a pair of sweatpants now. Although he was wearing the same, Alec was a bit startled at the comfort they'd already established without fully realising it. It wasn't something that he'd expected, but it was a welcome twist; that way, they would be much more convincing as leaders of the Institute. It would be good for them; the last thing Alec wanted was for his personal life to be scrutinised even more closely than it already was.

"You actually gave me an heirloom," Jace was saying as he stared down at the Lightwood family ring in his hand. "Isabelle mentioned something like that, but I didn't really think you'd go through the trouble."

"I thought it would be fitting," Alec said, laying his clothes from the wedding over the back of a nearby chair. "The alliance between our families–"

"Yours is brand new," Jace interrupted. "The only one we have that doesn't belong to my parents is the one I'm wearing, so my father had one made for you specifically."

And there it was again; the uncertainty in his own judgement as Alec struggled to find a proper response. On one hand, Jace was here all alone; had been alone his entire life when his family was concerned, because of course, he had his parents and his grandmother, but their positions in the Clave were far too engaging for them to have spent too much time around him. On the other, he'd _agreed_ to this marriage and had just told him – as explicitly as he could force himself to be with someone he virtually didn't know – that he considered him a part of his family now.

"I appreciate that," Alec said at last. He really did – family rings were difficult to create and usually only made by the Iron Sisters – even if he didn't appreciate the necessity to wear it all the time quite as much. Wedding gifts were meant to be worn, especially when it came to arranged marriages if they wanted to show the supposed unity that had got them into this situation in the first place.

"It's nothing." Jace smiled in a clear attempt to break the suddenly solemn mood, but the anxiety in his eyes didn't abate completely. "Which side do you sleep on?" he asked, already scooting back on the bed and messing up the careful arrangement of their pillows over the blanket.

"Doesn't matter," Alec muttered. He was still caught up in their previous topic, but proceeded to climb up on the right side of the bed after Jace picked the left one. He was just about to bid him good night so that they could turn away from each other – no need to make the tension even harder to bear – when Jace shuffled around in his place until they were face to face again.

"Good night, Alec," he said and closed his eyes, settling down more comfortably under the covers, the conversation from before seemingly completely forgotten. He looked at _home_ all of a sudden and Alec couldn't do much but offer a _good night_ of his own, even though he suspected that Jace was already asleep.

Angel, what was he supposed to _do_ with this man?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes: I apologise for any typos; I really wanted to share this, so I'm going to check it more thoroughly tomorrow. I also apologise for the cheesy ending, although I felt that this fic kind of deserved it.**

 **That being said, I hope you enjoy it and feedback is always welcome!**

He honestly hadn't meant to wake Alec up. Jace was always careful when it came to that – he knew full well that his husband didn't get much sleep as it was – but he hadn't really succeeded so far. His own sleeping schedule had been wrecked by the move from London to New York and he didn't have all that much to do just yet, so he was stuck with trying – and usually failing – to find the training room in the endless labyrinth of the Institute or finding something else to busy himself with.

This morning was different, though. He'd expected a call from his parents but had received a firemessage instead and was now clutching it in his hand like it was his most precious possession.

In a way, it was. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with the information he'd been given – not so early on – but his restless pacing from room to room had apparently been disruptive enough to wake Alec despite his best efforts.

"Jace, what is it?" he asked, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes as he sat up in the bed. "Something wrong?"

"No, it's fine." He crumpled the note up in his fist and shoved it into his back pocket. "I'm sorry if I was being noisy."

A pair of narrowed eyes was the only answer he got. Jace considered himself a decent liar, but for some unfathomable reason, Alec never seemed to fall for it. "What's the matter?"

He should have known that he wouldn't drop it that easily. Jace sighed. "It's a message from home," he admitted. "Nothing to worry about." _Not yet, anyway_. He would tell Alec the truth eventually, but he didn't feel quite up to it just now.

"If you say so." Once he was fully awake, there was no way for Alec to go back to sleep – he'd learnt that already in the weeks after he'd arrived here – and Jace cringed. He'd become Alec's alarm clock without really meaning to, but he'd always had a reason so far. First it had been the camera in their bedroom (while they did have surveillance in London, it had been nothing quite so _thorough_ ), then the new batch of weapons that had arrived from the Citadel and then a million other little things. He'd kept wandering around while Alec was still asleep and everyone had suddenly seen fit to ask Jace to forward all their requests to him.

He wasn't sure what they looked like in people's eyes by now, even if he preferred not to dwell on it too much. Since the transfer of the Institute hadn't happened yet, no one had accepted him as Head of the Institute, but they'd had years to get used to the idea of Alec being one, which made them slightly less equal than he'd been hoping for. Not that it was much of a surprise. Jace had always known that his future didn't belong to him, although he'd had plenty of reasons to hope for a good match. He was the Inquisitor's grandson, the Herondale family's only known heir, and he'd always expected to end up with someone he could actively work with. He could have definitely done worse than Alec Lightwood. The man was the future leader of the Shadowhunters in New York and, if Jace was honest with himself, he was _gorgeous_. He had spent enough time with him to allow himself to admit at least that and he caught a glimpse of mirroring admiration in Alec's eyes occasionally, but he hadn't let himself actually try and consider what that could mean for both of them. It was too much, at least for now.

In any case, Alec didn't seem bothered by the assumptions already made, but he did prefer to keep his personal life just that – personal – and Jace appreciated that since he couldn't – and didn't particularly _want_ to – explain what the situation really was.

It was a strange relationship that they'd formed. He didn't know whether he would even be able to call it a _friendship_ – could it really be considered that if their marriage had happened in the night of their first meeting? – but it was what he was hoping for, if nothing else. They'd grown rather comfortable with one another and he was glad; it made the entire idea of being married to a complete stranger far easier and more pleasant to handle than he'd ever expected. The last thing he wanted was for a bunch of too persistent rumours to ruin that.

"There's something I want to show you."

Jace only realised that they'd been quiet for a while when Alec spoke again. That was another thing he'd noticed – the amiable silence they slipped into when they didn't have anything else to say. It was different. Nice. Definitely a change from the tense silence usually reigning over the family dinners whenever his grandmother visited London.

"There is?" He perked up. "Alec, I swear, if it's more paperwork—"

"Not this time," Alec cut him off and threw the covers off of himself as he got up. He was even more efficient in the morning than he was during the rest of the day and Jace watched him absent-mindedly as he picked up his clothes for the day and changed into them. It didn't technically count as ogling if they were married, right? If it did, he had never heard Alec complain. Whether it was because he liked the attention or because he was used to being watched ( _the cameras_ , Jace reminded himself with another shudder; he'd been assured that no one actually saw the footage from the personal bedrooms unless something had happened, but the thought was still more than unpleasant) was yet to be determined. "But you're on the right track. I'll be ready in five."

He disappeared into the bathroom and Jace snapped out of his daze. Alec's determination for the two of them to still have their own separate lives was one of his best qualities and Jace had never been more grateful for it than he was right now. The drawer in his nightstand only responded to his stele (although with this Institute's level of security, he was sure that there was something powerful enough to override that command) and he put his letter inside carefully, smoothing out the edges as if it would fall apart if he was too rough. He locked it again, checking to see if the rune would hold more out of habit than anything else.

He would tell Alec at some point. Even if he didn't want to – and he did, strangely enough; his only worry being the still shaky ground that their marriage was built upon – he would be forced to do it before he'd had the chance to hear it from someone else. But he didn't want to think about that now. His husband had a surprise for him, after all.

 **o.O.o**

"This is it," Alec said as he pushed the door in front of them open. It was right next to his own office and _something_ about it looked like it'd been meddled with, but Jace hadn't been able to put his finger on it before the interior of the room drew his attention. "Mother told me that it was finished; I thought you'd want to take a look."

The first thing that caught his eye was the stained glass. It took up the entirety of the windows and bathed the office – because that was what it was – in a cacophony of colours and shades. Everything inside was made out of dark wood that gave the entire room an even more ethereal glow, hence the need for the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling, he supposed. It was beautiful if not overly practical and Jace was just taking in his surroundings when he realised why it had all seemed so eerily familiar since the very first look inside.

"This is just like my father's office." His eyes darted up to Alec, who was shifting his weight from one foot to the other and even if he was subtle about it, he was clearly waiting for a reaction. "It's _exactly_ the same. Was this your idea?"

"I've never been to London," Alec shrugged. He was trying to make light of the situation and that somehow made it even more endearing; his obvious determination to do _something_ that would make their lives easier battling with his need to keep the boundary between them as solid as it had been so far just in case making his heart clench with something he couldn't fully describe. "But my parents have visited before. You were supposed to inherit the Institute there and I thought that maybe you would feel more at home here if—"

Without really thinking about it – following an impulse that he'd tried to resist before for reasons he couldn't really remember – Jace pulled him down into a hug, effectively cutting Alec's explanation off.

He froze under his touch almost immediately and Jace was about to pull away, the realisation that he might have made a mistake just starting to sink in when Alec hesitantly wrapped his arms around him. The sudden movement had the intriguing side effect of the two of them being pressed even closer together and Jace found himself unwilling to let go. He was _comfortable_ like this; more so than he'd expected given the circumstances. He was painfully aware of their location – in the doorframe of his new office, in the middle of a fairly crowded hallway – but he didn't _care_. Why had they shied away from this again? It was clearly far better than most of their clumsy attempts at communication so far.

Alec let him go just a moment later, clearing his throat and nodding towards the door again. "There's something else."

Disentangling his arms from Alec's a little reluctantly, Jace turned around to follow his gaze to the plaque on the door and his smile widened even more than before at the sight that welcomed him there.

 _Jonathan Herondale  
Head of the Institute_

"So it's done, then?" He hadn't meant to be so blunt, but he doubted that Alec would mistake him being curious with being overly eager anyway. "The transfer?"

"Not in paper, but in every other way, yes," Alec said and pushed him forward gently so that he could close the door. "Wanna take a look around?"

"No." Jace had been waiting for this for a while and he remembered the conversation they'd had about a week ago – about the things that would happen once they were no longer drowning in documents they needed to read through and sign – and he hadn't forgotten any of it. "I want us to go on a hunt."

"Now?" Despite the disbelief in his voice, Alec seemed faintly amused by his impatience. "Sunrise is in an hour. Demons never come out in broad daylight."

"They don't," Jace conceded. "Which means that we'll have to hurry, doesn't it?"

"Good point." He was _definitely_ amused. Jace suppressed a grin as they headed back for their room. If he'd had any doubts about his parents's choice before, they were long gone now. They were a _perfect_ match.

 **o.O.o**

Jace groaned and pawed at the nightstand for his phone as it went off. _It was too early for this_. He had went to bed what felt like ten minutes ago and he didn't have to check the time to know that it was the crack of dawn. That was why he'd turned off his alarm – both he and Alec had decided that they could be forgiven for sleeping in since they'd been up all night.

But Alec wasn't there. The amount of empty space in the bed – not something Jace was used to, given Alec's size – only registered then and he scrambled up to see what the message was.

 _Meeting in the war room in ten_. The message was curt and Jace could see that it was sent to at least a few more people, but not to everyone in the Institute. Nothing too serious, then. The tension coiling around his chest loosened its hold just by a fraction and he let himself relax.

They'd been brilliant together last night. It had been only their third hunt together, but they'd clicked from the start and it showed – they were much more efficient together than they were apart. Last time they'd gone out together, Alec's sister had mentioned half-jokingly that she saw much less of her brother since Jace had moved in and he knew that he wasn't supposed to hoard him like this, but Alec was his _husband_. He was his partner in most senses of the word and that forced them to stay together most of the time (well, _forced_ was a strong word, since Jace didn't particularly mind) regardless of whether the rest of the Institute approved of that or not.

The thought of the Institute – and Alec – was what finally got Jace out of bed. He got dressed, still trying to switch his brain to politics mode – he suspected that it would be required of him once he entered the main hall.

He turned out to be right. Everyone of note was already there; Alec at the head of the table with Clary and Isabelle on both sides of him along with several more Shadowhunters and a Seelie who, if Jace's memory served him right, went by the name Meliorn.

"What's going on?" Jace had to bite back a yawn that quickly morphed into a smile once Alec looked at him. He hadn't slept either even if it didn't really show and Jace suspected that he'd activated every focus- and stamina-related rune he could think of to keep himself awake. "Have there been more attacks?"

"Unfortunately." Given the recent and still unexplained disappearances and murders of Seelies, Jace could understand the grim edge to Meliorn's tone. "We were assured that the Clave would send someone to investigate _weeks_ ago, but no one has come yet."

"We haven't been informed of that." Alec was already in full diplomat mode, but Jace could see his hands curling into fists on the table as his eyes flashed with barely suppressed frustration. The Clave had better things to do, or so they'd decided, and they'd probably just wanted to get the Court out of their hair. Getting them to authorise a mission now would probably be easy – no one in Idris wanted to deal with this and they'd be glad to pass it on to the first willing Institute – but that didn't make it any better to think of. "We _will_ send someone now, so if you could wait for us to put together a team—"

"I could go," Jace said, shifting in his place when everyone's attention turned to him. "I've led a couple of diplomatic missions in the Seelie realm back in London, so the Queen knows me already."

"Jace, both these missions were about Seelies squabbling over territories in Hyde Park," Clary said, crossing her arms across her chest defensively when he glared at her. "This is completely different; it might be dangerous. Are you sure you're qualified for it?"

"No one's qualified for it," Alec cut in. "Transgressions of this size haven't happened since before the Accords."

"Then what do you propose we should do?" Isabelle asked. "I know you wanted to see for yourself, Alec, so maybe you could go. It'll be better if one of you stays here."

It was true; leaving the Institute unattended when two people were in charge of it was just reckless. More Institutes weren't quite as safe, but it had been part of the agreement between their families – Jace would be authorised to share the power with Alec instead of just becoming a part of his family.

Now, Jace could practically see Alec going through every possible option they had before he turned to him. "Why don't you and Izzy go? I'm going to take a small team with me and go see the place where the murders happened for myself. Whoever attacked those scouts will probably do it again if they see you entering the Seelie realm."

"They'd think we're all focused on that," Jace realised. The composition of the teams was a bit surprising, but he wasn't about to protest given the nature of the mission. Fayland could be reached from countless places around the world, but the same didn't go for the territories surrounding the entrance and Alec knew the city much better than he did. "Sounds good. When do we start?"

"Right now?" Alec suggested. "We have no time to lose." Jace nodded and made to leave, only to have Alec reach out and wrap his hand around his elbow. "Can I have a word before we leave?"

"Of course," Jace said, puzzled. The plan was fairly simple and he hadn't assumed that he would need further instructions – especially not ones that the others wouldn't receive – but he let himself be pulled to the side anyway. "What is it?"

"It's just— be careful out there, okay?" Alec looked almost embarrassed by the warning but soldiered on anyway. "I know you said you've dealt with the Queen before, but something of this magnitude—"

"I'll do my best," Jace promised. "But I don't see Isabelle getting the same treatment."

"You're the leader of this mission." The look in Alec's eyes – determined for Jace to understand as if he was having trouble with the concept – wasn't one he'd ever seen before. "Plus, Izzy knows how to handle herself."

"And I don't?" He hadn't meant it to sound like a challenge, but it did anyway. Alec _knew_ that he was more than capable of doing his job; was he really going to question him now?

"Of course you do." Alec seemed frustrated for a moment – with him or with himself or with the situation, Jace couldn't tell – but the expression passed as soon as it had appeared. "But you know what Seelies are like. Knowing their customs is one thing, but dealing with them is completely different, especially when the Queen's angry. Izzy spends so much time with Meliorn that I figured he's given her some advice. But you? I don't want you to get hurt."

It would make sense for Alec to worry, of course. Losing Jace on a mission a little over two months after their wedding would look _bad_ and no one would ever let it go, but during the relatively short time since Jace had met him, he had never seemed like the type to think too hard of such details. He was a politician, born and raised to inherit the position he had now, but he was also too focused on his main job – handing out assignments to the Shadowhunters in his care and keeping them safe – to pay attention to the potential of people considering his decisions on a more personal level.

No, he was actually worried about him. About _him_ , not about the deal his family had made, and not about the potential of losing the Herondale family's trust. Just the thought of that made breathing a little easier (maybe he could dare to think about Alec as something more than a valuable prospect and a possible friend; maybe he would be _allowed_ that much) and Jace smiled, squeezing his hand in reassurance.

"I'll be fine," he said, mustering up all the confidence he could find in himself. He _would_ be fine; he had to be. He had too much to lose by now and as unpleasant as that thought was, it also brought him more joy than he could express. "You'll see. Everything's going to be okay."

 **o.O.o**

"I can't believe this." Almost an hour after they'd left the palace, Isabelle was still fuming. "I understand that she's upset, but Valentine Morgenstern, really? He's been dead for twenty years! Just because someone's breaking the Accords—"

"The last time a Shadowhunter broke them so openly _was_ during the Uprising," Jace reasoned. "She's immortal; it's probably easy to see the connection."

Isabelle's eyes darted to him. "Don't tell me you believe her."

"I don't know," Jace said and it was one of the first truly sincere things that had left his mouth in the last four hours. "We can't be sure that she's _wrong_."

"Let's assume that he somehow survived." It was clear that his sister in law was still sceptical, but she'd decided to indulge him for the time being – or indulge the Queen, more likely, in the occasion that they ever needed to discuss this with her again. "Why would he make a move now? Why not just stay hidden among the mundanes? The Clave would never find him in their world."

"He didn't want to live like a mundane, though," Jace said as they got to the portal they'd left open as a way out. "He wanted to purify the world from evil. And with the Cup missing for so long? For all we know, he could have been building an army all this time."

"That's ridiculous and you know it," Isabelle said and pulled herself up on the bridge. "Would it really take him twenty years? He..." Her voice trailed off as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and frowned at it, eyes widening at the screen. "Oh my God. Jace, we need to go."

"What is it?" Jace picked up his pace to match hers, every worry he'd tried to suppress during their mission suddenly coming up to the surface.

"It's Clary. She's fine," Isabelle continued when he made to speak. "But they've been attacked. They got everyone back, but Alec's been hurt."

For a moment, it sounded unbelievable. Alec hadn't been in danger. He hadn't been _supposed_ to be in danger and while the thought had still been in the back of Jace's mind – a Shadowhunter could never be sure that they would come out alive from a mission no matter how harmless the situation seemed, and harmless didn't exactly describe what Alec had gone to do – he hadn't truly considered it a possibility until now. The shock made his blood run cold, but he didn't stop, opting instead to almost break into a run as they neared the Institute.

They should have known. There was no service in the Seelie realm and in hindsight, Jace knew that one of them should have _thought_ of that. They'd discussed the plan and everything had seemed fine and no one had thought of the prospect of the two teams getting cut off from one another.

Luckily, the entrance into the Seelie realm was fairly close to the Institute. They both headed for the infirmary as soon as they got past the entrance and the only things making everything just a fraction better was the fact that no one in the Institute seemed too perturbed by the situation. Nothing overly serious, then, or at least, nothing that would warrant the local Shadowhunters's duties being disrupted. It was a comforting thought; as comforting as anything could be just then.

"Alec!" Jace pushed his way past the personnel to kneel next to Alec's best. He seemed exhausted, for the most part, although the bloody gash on his arm, poorly disguised as it was by the bandage, made him wince in sympathy. There was a mirroring wince from Alec himself as he tentatively responded to his sister's hug. "What the hell happened?"

"You weren't filled in already? We were ambushed." Alec gestured to his arm, as if Jace's eyes hadn't been fixed there already. "There was something in their weapons that prevents iratzes from working and I think it's demonic poison, but the Silent Brothers haven't said anything yet."

"You had to call someone from the City of Bones?" God, how long had Alec been like this? Jace knew that time passed differently in the Seelie realm, but apparently they'd missed almost an entire day.

"I'll be fine." The reassurance was meant for both him and Isabelle, it seemed, but Jace could see the same doubt painted over her face that he was sure his own expression carried as well. "Izzy, why don't you fill Clary in on what the Queen said? One of the men who attacked us tried to kidnap her and she has no idea why, but maybe this'll give her a clue."

"Of course." Isabelle's frown had deepened as she'd clearly connected the dots faster than any of them had and she turned around on her heel, shouting out a "Tell me if there's anything new!" on her way out.

They were alone now; as alone as they could get when at least half of the investigating team had been injured in one way or another, and Alec carefully assessed their surroundings before speaking again.

"We need to talk. Not here," he shook his head when Jace inched a bit closer on the edge of his bed. "Later. It's too crowded here, and I was told I'll have to spend the night."

"I'm staying with you." It was an impulsive decision, but not one he regretted in the slightest. "If they're keeping you in the infirmary, that means that someone's got to watch over you, right?"

"We have staff for that," Alec reminded, sighing in resignation when Jace glared back at him. "Aren't you tired? You spent the entire day in the Queen's presence."

"There's a free bed right next to yours." To better illustrate his point, Jace shifted to the bed in question. It was already the late afternoon and soon enough, anyone with milder injuries would be free to go back to their bedroom. The thought of leaving Alec to the tender mercies of whoever was assigned to take care of the wounded seemed unthinkable. Plus, they had so much to discuss; there was no way he was leaving _now_. "I can sleep here. I can also bring you dinner," he continued when Alec made to protest. " _Actual_ dinner, not whatever they're going to bring you here. And then I can tell you all about the visit. How about that?"

"Deal." The response was quick; too quick, almost, and Jace had to suppress his pleased grin as he headed for the door. "But only if you bring me something good."

"Have I ever disappointed you?" Alec didn't deign that with a response, but Jace didn't need him to, fully aware of what they were still reluctant to acknowledge – they knew each other far too well already for any misunderstandings to arise.

 **o.O.o**

"And you're sure?" They were the only ones left in the infirmary, but Jace kept his voice down anyway. "There's no way it could have been anything else?"

"We've both studied the Uprising, Jace," Alec said. He looked restless and finally, Jace could understand why. While Alec wasn't a fan of being ordered to rest on any given day, the sudden change in their world – sudden for them, in any case, although only the Angel could tell how long it had been since it had started – had made him even tenser than usual. "I can recognise a Circle rune when I see one. You know what they look like."

He did. Even if he didn't want to admit it, Jace knew that Alec had to be right. It was the only explanation.

"The Queen mentioned Valentine, but we just brushed it off." Jace buried his face in his hands, suddenly far more tired than he'd been just ten minutes ago. "Who else knows?"

"Everyone who was there when we were attacked," Alec said as he pushed his plate to the side. "Meliorn included, so the Queen's pretty much got her confirmation by now. Clary's what worries me. She hasn't even began to think that this might be her father's doing and I'm not sure how she's going to take it."

"She'll take it." She'd had to get used to the idea of being Valentine's daughter since early childhood and she'd grown mostly immune to it by now. She wouldn't let this bring her down, Jace was certain of it; if anything, it would make her even more determined to stay in New York until they found him. "She's a tough girl."

"If you say so. But even if she chooses to stay..." Alec's voice trailed off. "Maybe it's time for you to go home, Jace. No one would blame you if you call this who thing off now; you didn't sign up for this."

"No way." Was he really suggesting this _now_ , after they'd both finally found their footing in their positions? "How can you even say that? I'm not leaving any of you behind."

"I can't make you leave if you don't want to. You're not under my command; you're the head of this Institute just as much as I am." Alec didn't sound overjoyed by that fact, but he didn't sound terribly upset either. "But if we're not wrong, Valentine Morgenstern is somewhere in this city right now." Alec leant in closer to him, tone even quieter than before. "And the more we try to keep Clary away from him, the harder he'll try to get to her. What if something happens to you? I can't risk that. How am I supposed to tell your parents that their only son—"

"I'm not their only son." _I can't risk that._ He hadn't meant his parents, not with _this_ , but it was easier to focus on that for now. "Or at least, I won't be soon."

The statement, more hesitant than anything Jace had said tonight, was enough to stop Alec in the middle of his tirade. "What?"

"My mother's pregnant." It sounded so much more _real_ now that he'd said it; Jace had suspected that it might. "I wanted to tell you, but— she's very fragile. I'm the only child she's managed to carry to term." It hurt to talk about this, but Jace had been ready for this too and it wasn't quite as painful as he'd expected. This was _Alec_ , after all, and he would understand. He had made sure that he would before he'd even started to consider whether he'd share this with him or not, but he'd been pleasantly surprised along the way; the realisation that he could trust this man completely both sudden and entirely unsurprising. "I wasn't sure what would happen this and neither were my parents, but things are actually looking good this time around. And I know that this wasn't in the contract and that I was supposed to be the only heir, but none of us had even considered—"

"I don't care about the damn contract, Jace." It was strangely comforting to hear Alec say it like this; distracted and offhanded as if it was already a given. "That's all the more reason for you to go home, don't you think?"

"I wouldn't want to worry her. And she's fine now; she writes to me every week. But that wasn't my point," he continued, trying – and not entirely succeeding – to push away the still giddy mood that each and every one of these letters had brought him. "My point is, whatever you're worried about – my family, my legacy, the London Institute or anything else you're going to bring up – is in safe hands. We wouldn't be married if my parents hadn't decided that it was beneficial for me. And plus," Jace took a deep breath and looked Alec in the eye for the first time since they'd started talking, "whatever they wanted, they would tell me to follow my heart. Which is why I'm staying here."

Over the last few months, Jace had caught at least a glimpse of Alec in every state of mind he could possibly imagine, but he'd never seen him at a loss of words. It didn't last long and when he finally broke into a smile, it was blinding and strangely uncertain and everything Jace had expected it to be. "Does that mean..."

"It does," Jace nodded, jumping up from his own bed and settling down on top of his husband's covers, careful not to disturb his arm too much. "I'm staying here. If you'll have me."

"Do you even need to ask?" Alec's smile had mostly dissolved into laughter at that point and Jace was glad; his happiness made his face light up and that made it even easier for Jace to lean down and kiss him; the prospect even more tempting than before.

No, he didn't need to ask. Neither of them could tell what lied ahead in the future, but for now, it was enough for Jace to be sure that as long as they stayed together, he would always know what to call _home_.


End file.
